Tag: Holes-in-one

All the holes-in-one at Augusta National for the Masters

The 16th has had the most aces over the years.

In the history of the Masters Tournament at Augusta National, there have been 34 holes-in-one, the most recent coming in the 2022 edition of the event.

The fourth has just one ace ever.

The sixth has had six holes-in-one.

The most famous par 3 is the 12th, known as Golden Bell, and there have been just three aces there.

The 16th hole has recorded the most aces of any hole at Augusta National with 24.

Below is a list of all the aces.

In tournament history, five aces were made by amateurs, one was made by a golfer using a mashie niblick and one was made by a golfer using a spade mashie. (Bonus points if you know what those two clubs look like).

All the holes-in-one at the 16th hole at the WM Phoenix Open

There have been roughly 14,400 tee shots sent flying during tournament rounds at the par-3 16th hole.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — It’s become a true bucket-list adventure in the world of sports for golfers and fans alike, as the 16th hole at TPC Scottsdale is one of the most anticipated events during the week of the WM Phoenix Open.

The event was first played at the Stadium Course in 1987. Over the 36 years, there have been roughly 14,400 tee shots fired during tournament golf at the 140-or-so-yard hole, but there has been only 11 holes-in-one.

Yep, just 11.

The first happened in 1988. The latest was the final round of 2022.

The breakdown by round is:

  • first round: one
  • second round: one
  • third round: seven
  • final round: two

There have been two aces in the same week three different times: 1990, 1997 and 2022. There has never been two aces at 16 in the same round. A lefty has never made an ace there.

Here’s a closer look at all the holes-in-one on No. 16 at the Phoenix Open.

Arizona golfer defies the odds, makes two holes-in-one in same round

The National Hole-in-One Registry says the odds of making two aces in one round are 67 million-to-1.

The National Hole-in-One Registry has determined that the odds of making two aces in one round are 67 million-to-1.

Cliff Romme just defied those odds.

Playing Orange Tree Golf Resort in Scottsdale, Arizona, the 77-year-old had two holes-in-one in a four-hole stretch during a recent round.

“It started off as probably my worst round in several weeks. I just could not keep the ball in the right spots,” Romme told Phoenix TV station Fox 10 about the inauspicious start to his day. But then came the par-3, 124-yard fourth hole.

After teeing off, he didn’t see it go in. In fact, as he approached the green, he had his wedge in his hands because he didn’t see his ball on the green. That’s when one of his playing partners told him “look in the hole,” Romme said. “And here it was.”

Three holes later was the par-3 seventh.

“I hit it again and the ball, it was another nice hit,” he said. “It felt good, it went up high, had a little bit of a draw, hit the green and rolled down the hill and right in hole.”

This time he kept his eyes, and ears, on the ball.

“Clunk. We could actually hear it,” he said. “I was a little numb. I couldn’t believe it.”

Orange Tree later gave him a red pin flag as a souvenir.

One of 40 in an area golf group dubbed “The Bogey Boys”, Romme did admit that he bought a lottery ticket on his way home, just in case there still some luck left in his day, but he struck out with that purchase.

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17 million to 1 odds: Back-to-back aces stun golfers at California course

“I thought I won a few bucks on that hole until Chuck hit his ball,” Spina laughed.

When Rick Lehman missed the green with his tee shot on the 165-yard par-3 seventh hole at Andalusia Country Club in La Quinta, California, he didn’t think much of it other than the shot wasn’t very good.

What Lehman and his two playing partners couldn’t have known was that within seconds the three golfers would be witness to something rare — back-to-back holes in one from the trio.

Steve Spina, a guest at the course and playing second on the hole, made a hole-in-one with a 7-iron. Chuck LaVarnway, playing last in the threesome, then holed his own tee shot with a 5-hybrid.

“The funny part was we are playing a game where one guy can win all the money if he wins by two strokes,” said LaVarnway of the double aces on Sept. 23. “So I hit my shot and I’m thinking I have to make a 2, and it was going at the pin and I turned away, knowing that I hit it very well. But I turned away and Rick goes, ‘That went in.’ And I said ‘oh, come on.’”

“I thought I won a few bucks on that hole until Chuck hit his ball,” Spina laughed.

The odds of an amateur golfer making a hole-in-one are 12,500 to one. The odds of consecutive holes in one, according to the PGA of America’s website, are about 17 million to 1.

Lehman, LaVarnway and Spina play golf often at Andalusia. Lehman and LaVarnway are members of the club and Spina, a part-time La Quinta resident who lives in Burlingame near San Francisco, as a guest of his brother-in-law who is an Andalusia member. On this day the threesome was playing a game called Nine Points, meaning the winner of a hole gets five points, the second-best score gets three points and the highest score on the hole gets just one point.

Lehman’s shot didn’t offer much inspiration to his playing partners, he said, missing the green on the downhill par-3 with water in front. Spina then hit his 7-iron.

“It was in all the way,” Lehman said.

“It hit three feet in front and rolled right in,” Spina said of his fourth career ace.

Second ace same as the first

Then came LaVarnway’s turn.

“We high-fived, and Chuck was like, whatever, and he walked to the cart to get a different club,” Lehman said.

“Chuck goes, oh, I feel a little breeze, so he goes back and gets a different club (a 5-hybrid) and then he hits it and it goes right in, the exact same line,” Spina said. “It was crazy.”

“They were almost identical shots, to be honest with you,” Lehman said. “They both went straight at the hole. I think the ball marks were a foot or so away from each other, and they both just bounced a couple of times and disappeared. It was crazy.”

For LaVarnway, it was his 10th career ace. But Spina, LaVarnway and Lehman all said they have never seen two aces from the same group before, much less on consecutive swings.

“And we are all jumping up and down like a couple of kids,” Lehman said.

“We are glad Rick was there (as witness), otherwise no one would believe us,” Spina said.

Perhaps the only downside of the two aces is that they came so early in the round.

“We walked onto the eighth tee box and, well, something like that, the excitement, it’s over,” Lehman said. “Stuff like that should last longer, the excitement. We did talk about it all day. How could that have happened?”

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Golfer named Blade makes two aces in four holes, celebrates with dive into lake

This former baseball player only started playing golf about five years ago.

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Making a hole-in-one is pretty cool.

Getting two of them in the same round is crazy.

Having them come in a span of four holes is totally wild.

That’s just what happened to Blade Kurilich. Yep, Blade, that’s his real name. His club of choice for his pair of aces was a 9-iron.

“That club will be getting framed once I get a new set,” he joked after his round.

Kurilich was playing Sterling Grove Golf & Country Club in the Phoenix suburb of Surprise, Arizona, earlier this week with his regular crew. His first hole-in-one came on the third hole, where he did his best Michael Block PGA Championship impression.

“I hit just a stock 9-iron and actually dunked it straight in the hole on the fly,” he said. “I didn’t know it at the time but heard the pin rattle from the tee box. When I got up there I saw where the ball actually took a chunk out of the cup before I saw the ball in the hole.”

Four holes later, Kurilich was on the seventh tee box, again holding his 9-iron. The hole measured 172 yards but it was downwind.

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“I couldn’t see that one in either over the ridge. So for both hole-in-ones I had to check the cup to be certain,” he said.

The National Hole-in-One Registry reports that the odds of an average golfer making an ace are 12,000-to-1. Kurilich says he’s a +2.4 so the odds for a golfer like him is 5,000-to-1. But this two ace thing is the real longshot, as the odds of a player making two holes-in-one in the same round are 67 million to 1.

A former baseball player who only started playing about five years ago, Kurilich had never had a hole-in-one before he got these two.

Blade Kurilich
The scorecard for Blade Kurilich, who had two holes-in-one in a four-hole stretch at Sterling Grove Golf Club in Surprise, Arizona. (Photo: Blade Kurilich)

“After my second hole-in-one I had promised my buddy driving up to the green that if that one was in too, I’d dive in the lake,” he said. “Well I had to keep up on that promise and dove right in. My game went completely in the tank after that second one.”

Kurilich worked in finance in Denver but moved to Scottsdale recently with his fiancee to chase his dream of professional golf.

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Watch: Golf influencers Troy Mullins, Tania Tare each make two holes-in-one

The Ace Race show debuted on July 1 and will be televised on Bally Sports through August.

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Not one. Not two. Not three. How about four holes-in-one in one day?

Golf influencers Troy Mullins and Tania Tare did just that, with each making two aces at Indian Wells Golf Resort.

All the fun was captured on video by Breaking Par, an Arizona-based, syndicated golf TV show carried by Bally Sports affiliates across the country.

The series is called “Ace Race with Tania Tare”, a renowned trick-shot artist. Mullins is a long-drive competitor.

On this particular day on the par-3 16th hole, each golfer took aim from 140 yards out for about four hours. The contest ended once paying customers reached the hole.

Mullins was declared the winner after she hit the most balls inside a four-foot circle around the hole. In addition to bragging rights, she won a custom Phat Ride.

“Whether you’re a golfer or not, everyone knows how special a hole-in-one is, so being there to witness four aces is something I’ll never forget,” said Ryan Johnson, executive producer of Breaking Par.

The Ace Race show debuted on July 1 and will be televised on Bally Sports affiliates until Aug. 31, 2023.

Tare has a combined 588,000 followers on Instagram and TikTok; Mullins has more than 250,000 on the two social-media platforms.

Aces wild: Check out the four holes-in-one at 2022 World Wide Technology Championship at Mayakoba

Here’s a quick review of the four aces south of the border, which meant cervezas for everybody.

If you thought 4 Aces was just the name of Dustin Johnson’s juggernaut of a team in LIV Golf, you’d be wrong. There were four aces this week at the World Wide Technology Championship at Mayakoba, too.

The last time there were four holes-in-one in a single PGA Tour event? That would be at the 2019 World Wide Technology Championship at Mayakoba. What is it about the par-3s at El Camaleon Golf Club in Riviera Maya, Mexico, that serves up aces and opens the bars?

Here’s a quick review of the four aces south of the border, which meant cervezas for everybody.

Steve Marks got his first hole-in-one – and his second – within 20 minutes of each other

Imagine hitting two holes-in-one in four holes. That’s what Steve Marks did.

Steve Marks didn’t really think about his shot into the par-3 12th. He simply grabbed his hybrid, put a tee in the ground and swung.

His nerves were still high. 20 minutes earlier, the 68-year-old Marks recorded the first hole-in-one of his 61-year golf career at his home course, Idlewild Country Club in Flossmoor, Illinois. He just wanted to make solid contact, still shaking from his crazy achievement only three holes prior.

Little did he know, his round was about to get a whole lot better.

Not only did he make solid contact, but Marks’ shot also went in the hole. Another ace. Two in four holes.

“It’s just incredible,” Marks told Golfweek. “The more I think about it, and the more people I talk to, the more incredible it is.”

The odds of having two aces during the same round are roughly 1 in 67 million, according to the National Hole in One Registry. The feat has only been accomplished three times on the PGA Tour, most recently by Brian Harman at The Barclays in 2015.

“I’ve been playing golf for more than 60 years, and you know when you hit a good shot,” Marks said. “But a good shot and going in the hole are two different things.”

Marks, who works in the jewelry business, has played nearly 1,000 rounds during his lifetime, but the one from late September stands out the most.

His first hole-in-one came on the ninth. The hole measured at 137 yards into a stiff breeze, so Marks clubbed up twice and hit a 5-iron. The shot bounced off a slope and tracked toward the cup before tumbling in.

The ninth tee box is situated close to the driving range and some pickleball courts, so plenty of people joined in on the celebration.

“I was calling everyone,” Marks said. “I’m shaken. It was just a whole great thing.”

Twenty minutes later, Marks was on the tee box of the par-3 12th hole. It faced the same direction as the par-3 ninth, so he pulled extra club on the 159-yard hole, a 21-degree hybrid. He was still in somewhat of a shock from what happened earlier.

“I was not even thinking,” Marks said of his shot, “and it went straight. It was a really good track but seemed to me because it was into the wind, it was a little short.

“And it bounced, maybe on the collar. Went straight up in the air, and boom. Slam dunk.”

Marks admits he wasn’t fully paying attention to his shot on the 12th hole because he remained engulfed in his emotions from the ninth.

And it’s not the first ace for his family at Idlewild this year. Marks’ wife, Shelly, hit one in May, so of the club’s five holes-in-one this year, three belong to the Marks family.

Marks said he’s in the process of making a custom shadowbox to display both his hole-in-one golf balls. He ended up shooting an 85 that day (he’s a 15 handicap), but all that will stand out on the scorecard are his two aces.

And frankly, he’s happy with that score. He doesn’t quite remember the final six holes of his round. On the 18th, there was a small crowd of people around the green, including his wife and plenty of friends, and Marks was just trying not to blade his wedge into the people behind the putting surface.

On the final par 3 at Idlewild, the 16th, Marks said some members gathered around to see whether there was any chance he was going to hit another ace.

But it’s safe to say 68 years was worth the wait for his first ace. And, his second came only 20 minutes later.

“There’s not a time that it doesn’t enter my mind,” Marks said. “When I go to bed at night and close my eyes, I think of at least the one on No. 9 and how it went in.

“You don’t want to toot your own horn, but I still have people coming up to me and telling me it’s just unbelievable how you did this.”

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This 82-year-old Florida golfer never made a hole-in-one — until he dropped two in one round

“You can probably guess the advice I was getting,” he said. “Buy a lottery ticket on the way home. I did not.”

NAPLES, Florida — Tom Peek is 82 and has been playing golf for over 50 years.

He had never made a hole-in-one. Now he has two.

Wednesday at Royal Palm Golf Club, Peek made an ace on the 91-yard No. 5, and followed that up three holes later with one on No. 8 from 112 yards. He used a 7-iron for both.

“I’ve been playing off and on for 50 years, and got several close within a foot or so,” Peek said. “Nothing ever dropped in until (Wednesday). It seems like they all wanted to fall in. It was fun.”

“Don’t ask me about the rest of the game because I’m not sure I remember very much,” Peek added with a chuckle.

Peek stepped up on No. 5, a par 3 over water, and hit his “handy” 7-iron.

“I just made a clean stroke on it,” he said. “We really couldn’t see the cup itself because the green has a little bit of an undulation about three-quarters of the way. I saw the ball hit and roll toward the flagstick but really couldn’t see it go in the hole. One of the other guys said ‘I think that hit the flagstick.'”

“When we got there, sure enough it was in the hole. Everybody was excited about that.”

Peek was playing a two-best-ball-net game with playing partners Bob Fitch and Bob Furey, both of whom he knew, and Jon Parrillo, who he had never played with before. Peek got a stroke via his handicap on the hole. One of the others made a birdie, so their total for the hole with their handicap was a 2.

“I had a hole-in-one for a net zero on our scorecard,” he said with a laugh. “It was a fun day.”

That continued on No. 8, which Peek said was playing around 120 yards.

“I just made another nice swing and we could all observe it in the air and when it hit on the green,” he said. “I’m guessing it hit maybe 5 feet from the hole, kind of took a short hop and rolled right in the hole.

“At this point, I think there were a few people playing up behind us who had come up to the tee box. They couldn’t believe it.”

And it was unbelievable. Peek had just accomplished something that according to Golf Digest was 67 million to one.

“You can probably guess the advice I was getting,” he said. “Buy a lottery ticket on the way home. I did not.”

Peek didn’t pick up the game until his late 20s, when the second lieutenant in the Air Force who was stationed in Grand Forks, North Dakota, was asked by others to give it a try.

“There was a city golf course a mile or so away,” Peek said.

Peek and his wife Nora, who also was an engineering student, met in college at the University of Tennessee, and came down to Naples in 1968, following her father, a retired career military officer.

Peek was a partner in the engineering firm Wilson, Miller, Barton & Peek before retiring. He helped design Pelican Bay and Bonita Bay, among countless others. He joined Royal Palm in 2002.

“All of the time I was working, I never had time to play a lot of golf,” he said.

After his feat Thursday, word spread quickly, and so did the number of people coming to the clubhouse for the traditional free drink. Peek was thankful he had paid into the club’s “hole-in-one” insurance.

“Everybody was having happy hour at noontime or slightly thereafter,” he said.

Peek already has received many congratulatory messages, including one from a close friend and former neighbor.

“Congratulations, what a feat!” the message read. “I wish I could’ve been there to see that happen. I’ll just settle for ‘I know that guy.'”

Peek probably has made many new friends along the way now, too.

Greg Hardwig is a sports reporter for the Naples Daily News and The News-Press. Follow him on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter: @NDN_Ghardwig, email him at ghardwig@naplesnews.com. Support local journalism with this special subscription offer at https://cm.naplesnews.com/specialoffer/

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Pair of aces: A Patti and a Patty each made a hole-in-one in the same round in Arizona

Playing together, Patti Thompson and Patty Southwick each made an ace.

Hole-in-one stories are always fun. This is another good one.

The Troon North Women’s Golf Association played its final event of the season Thursday in Scottsdale, Arizona.

One of the foursomes included Patti Thompson and Patty Southwick. When the group got to No. 7 of Troon North’s Monument course, Thompson pulled out her new 6-hybrid and sent her ball flying on the 115-yard hole. Seconds later, the ball was in the cup for an ace.

Six holes later, Southwick – sporting her Masters visor – hit her 4-hybrid from 128 yards and also found the hole.

Two aces, same round, similar first names. Quite a day for the duo.

The National Hole-In-One Registry reports that only 16 percent of aces reported are made by women.

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